Kindergarten Study Taking Long View

The nation's kindergartners come from increasingly diverse
backgrounds, but most are healthy, get along well with their
classmates, seem eager to learn, and can perform simple reading and
math tasks, according to the first findings from a long-term federal
study.

But the report, released last week by the U.S. Department of
Education's National Center for Education Statistics, also shows some
significant differences in children who are just beginning their school
journeys, as well as in the perceptions of their parents and
teachers.

"Kindergarten is a critical period in children's early school
careers—this experience sets children on a path that influences
their subsequent learning and school achievement,'' the report
says.

A sample consisting of 22,000 children who entered kindergarten in
the fall of 1998, the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten
Class 1998-99, will follow pupils through the 5th grade and is expected
to provide a wealth of information for years to come.

"We're going to get an incredibly good look at kids' skills and what
the educational pipeline is dealing with at the front end," said Robert
C. Pianta, a University of Virginia education professor who has studied
children's transition into kindergarten. He added that the study also
would help educators "deploy resources" to the children who need help
the most.

The baseline report provides a snapshot of the skills the children
had when they entered school. Sixty-six percent of them recognized the
letters of the alphabet. Twenty-nine percent knew the beginning sounds
of words, and 17 percent understood the ending sounds, the study
found.

In mathematics, nearly all the children—94
percent—recognized numbers and shapes, and could count to
10.

Children Differ

Differences emerged in the children's knowledge, however, based on
whether they are older or younger members of the cohort being studied.
In reading, math, and general knowledge, children who were born in 1992
outperformed those who were born in September through December of
1993.

Children's performance in those areas also increased with their
mothers' educational levels. But there were exceptions. Some children
whose mothers had less than a high school education scored at the
highest level, and some whose mothers had bachelor's degrees or higher
scored at the lowest level.

The kindergartners were also more likely to score at the highest
level if they came from two-parent families.

In general, parents and teachers reported that the children made
friends, joined others in play, and accepted their peers' ideas.

But that area is one in which parents and teachers differed.
According to parents, about 33 percent of the kindergartners argued
with others often to very often, and fewer than 20 percent fought with
others and became angry easily. Teachers said that only about 10
percent of the youngsters acted out in those ways.

Parents and teachers also had somewhat different viewpoints on the
children's approaches to learning. Parents reported that about 75
percent of the kindergartners stuck with the tasks they were doing,
about 92 percent were eager to learn, and about 85 percent showed
creativity.

But teachers gave their students more conservative ratings when
asked similar questions, saying that two-thirds to three-quarters of
the kindergartners persisted at tasks, showed eagerness to learn, and
were able to pay attention.

The authors of the report note that those differences are an issue
that could get more attention in future reports.

And while the initial findings focus on children who were entering
kindergarten for the first time in fall 1998—about 95 percent of
the sample—the researchers also plan in the future to look at
those who were repeating kindergarten then.

Most Children Healthy

Most parents rated their children's health as excellent or very
good. But the study also found that some children were at risk for
being overweight—specifically, those whose mothers had less than
a bachelor's degree and those whose primary language was not
English.

Only 6 percent of the kindergartners were having vision problems,
and only 3 percent were having difficulties with hearing, according to
their parents.

Close to 20 percent were reported by parents as being a lot more
active than other children their age, and that was more often the case
with boys than girls.

Children considered at risk for problems in school—meaning
they came from single-mother homes, their mothers had low educational
levels, or they had received public assistance—were also reported
to be a lot more active than children who did not have those risk
factors. African-American children were also said by parents to be much
more active than white, Asian-American, and Hispanic children.

Black children were more likely than any other racial and ethnic
group to score in the high group in gross motor skills. They were also
being rated by their teachers as demonstrating more problem behaviors,
such as arguing and fighting.

"Together, these findings present an interesting picture that
warrants consideration," the report says.

Reading at Home

The report notes that having books, audiotapes, and other materials
designed for children in the home can improve youngsters' chances of
being successful in school.

Most parents, the study found, said they had at least 25 children's
books at home, and nearly half the parents reported reading or singing
songs to their children every day.

But an interesting pattern appeared in that area. Mothers who had
lower levels of education, were single, or received welfare payments
were found to be less likely to read to their children, as were black
parents. But children whose families fit that description were more
likely to be sung to every day than those who came from two-parent
homes and were not on welfare. Black parents were also more likely to
sing to their children than white, Hispanic, and Asian-American parents
were.

The researchers also asked about child-care arrangements, and found
that the year before the youngsters started kindergarten, four out of
five had been cared for regularly by someone other than their
parents.

Sixty-nine percent of the youngsters who had been in child care had
attended a center-based program, 24 percent had received care from a
relative in a private home, and 15 percent had received care from
someone unrelated to them in a private home.

Children whose mothers had higher levels of education were more
likely to have been in a center, while children from homes where
English was not the primary language were less likely to have been in
center-based care.

Once kindergarten began, child care continued for many of the
children. About 50 percent were in some type of before- and/or
after-school care. Such care was most often provided by a relative,
followed by centers, and finally by someone not related to the
youngsters.

Future Directions

While the report provides information on children's performance
based on child and family characteristics, such as the child's sex, age
at school entry, race, and ethnicity, future reports will take
different perspectives as well.

For example, researchers may analyze data to see if performance is
affected by whether the children attended preschool, whether they
attended a full- or half- day kindergarten, or whether they attend a
private or public school.

Besides the kindergarten study, education researchers throughout the
country are eager to see results from a second federal longitudinal
study—this one involving newborns—that will begin this
year. The NCES is also to conduct the study of newborns.

Together, the two studies are expected to provide valuable insight
into the years leading up to school and the early grades.

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